This chapter is fairly short, but it is necessary. If it is not up to the level I have set, I apologize, but this is what I felt I could do for you all.

Enjoy.

Chapter 10: To Be a Queen

They had all expected a comforting room, maybe a hospital bed and some flowers, but what they saw was something completely different. Inside the doorway at the end of the winding hall there was no room, but rather a staircase leading down into a dark hallway. Alexia was the last to come in, but the first to try and go back out of the door they came in through. When it slammed in her face and the handle wouldn't budge, she turned back to the king with a scream prepared in her throat, but it never came.

Nicodemus spoke first. "Don't be afraid."

But it was much too late for that.

Nori was the only one to stay quiet, but the rest of the girls, all with a sense of abrasiveness and force, clambered to attack him with words of concern, distaste and mockery.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Of course we're afraid."

"You better give us a good explanation."

"I'm going to kick your ass."

"I swear to—"

"If you don't—"

"You're going to be sorry, you little—"

But their banter stopped the moment Nico started laughing.

Putting a hand on Nori's shaking arm, Ntuthuko sent him a striking glare. Next to her, Victoria's ice blue eyes had turned dark and she was watching him closely, standing in front of the other girls like she was a shield. She had to resist putting a hand to her hip, grabbing for the gun she knew for sure wasn't there. And Alexia, behind all of them, leaning against the door, her heart racing and her eyes flicking about the room. There was no window, just bright lights that were giving her a headache, and the door was locked (she shook it again but it didn't even flinch).

She was stuck. They all were.

"Is this some… sick Quinn ploy?" Alexia spit, scathing. "Are you trying to turn us into some… some little toy soldiers that you can just play with? Is this some sick joke to you?" She pushed herself off from the wall and tried to approach him, but Victoria held her back, muttering for the dark-haired girl to lay off.

"Lex—"

"No." She tried to lunge towards him, but two of the guards that were standing near him came to stand before him. "You're not who you said you were. You're nothing like the king you promised us. You're a fraud! Just like Proteus, just like Vasili!"

Nico stepped towards her quickly, and let his booming voice ring out from his chest. The room seemed to shake, and Nori dove into Ntu's shoulder. They embraced. "Hey." He stared down the group around him, and his guards stood stiffly. "Do you have any interest in surviving?" Ntu cocked her head, about to ask all the questions flooding her head.

Alexia ignored him, though. "Was that whole boat crash part of your plan? Huh?" She began to feel a burn in her chest, but ignored it, too. "Are you trying to kill is, crush us down and make us all equals so that you're the only one who stands above us?" She laughed, feeling a cough rising from her lungs. "Typical of a man with your blood. Tell me, does your mother know? Does she know that her son is a pathetic little—"

Again, as she had hours before, her lungs felt as if they were collapsing. Her chest burned as if she'd breathed in the hottest blue fire, and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. Alexia crumpled to the floor, exploding into a fit of convulsions with every cough she got out. Nico dropped to his knees, turning her onto her side and holding her shoulder in place so that she wouldn't strain anything in her neck with the movements that shattered her body. He dug his hand into the pocket of her robe and pulled out the puffer. Alexia tried to resist when he grabbed her chin, but he was strong, too strong. He pressed the puffer's end against her lips, urging her to close her mouth around it, and pressed down on the top.

"Old World medicine… good as ever," one of the guards commented, relaxing and folding his huge arms over his chest. The other one did the same and nodded with a shake of his shoulders.

Victoria stood with Alexia and Nico at her feet, her face still and placid. She was doing her best to keep control of herself and wanted nothing more than to understand. When Nico looked up at her, she held her breath, lifting her chin by an inch to stare down at him, to have more control. Her eyes flickered to the weapons on the exposed hips of both guards. Dumbasses. If only she could get the message to Ntu, get past Nico (who was frighteningly vulnerable in his positioning at the moment), she could take them down, get a weapon, threaten the extra parties enough to get leverage and get the hell out of this palace.

"Don't," Nico urged, and as Alexia found herself able to breathe again, she scrambled away from him and took Victoria's hand to be able to stand up. "We're not going to hurt you." It sounded like a promise. Alexia wanted to spit on him. "We're trying to protect you."

Ntu's brow had been crunched together for so long that she was sure her skin was permanently wrinkled. She shook her head slowly. "Just tell us what's going on, Quinn. No one has to get hurt. We're not going to tell anyone."

Nico sat back on his palms, sticking his legs out and crossing his ankles. Victoria and Alexia stepped back so as to not have his feet too close to them. "What did you come here to do?"

"Would you quit being so vague?" Alexia barked, clenching her jaw. She felt it click, and she winced. "Tell us—"

"I asked you a question, Chen." His expression changed, now persuasive and… well, blank. Alexia flinched, feeling her heart slamming against her ribs. If only she had some way to immediately contact back home—she'd be able to end this all right now. She had the resources, just needed the dispatch.

But for now, control what she could. For once, Alexia submitted. "Y—Uh…"

"All of you, tell me." Nico was smiling, so desperate for the answer than he jumped to his feet. "Now. Tell me what you're here for."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, but it was shattered all everyone spoke, almost at once.

Ntuthuko. "For my country."

Alexia. "To fix everything."

Victoria. "For a change."

Nori. "For you."

They finished, and when Nico looked like he was satisfied, another voice piped up. "To be a Queen."

Sage.

"Sage!" Victoria suddenly showed a vulnerability that she'd never broken into before. Nico put a hand up, and she regained her stoic manners. "What's going on…?"

And then everything seemed to make sense. Sage began to explain.

"There's no need to be afraid. None of this is malicious in any way," Sage smiled and came to Nico's side, who seemed more relaxed now.

"What is this?" Ntuthuko said, still with Nori in her grasp.

Nori whimpered. "I'm afraid…"

"No!" Sage, in a way, felt bad. The girls didn't understand, not yet. She had to be quick to explain, or else they might act irrationally. "We're all here to be queen, right?" The girls hesitated, glancing at Nico and his suave smirk, but all nodded eventually. "So that's what we'll do. We're each going to, well… train for it."

Ntuthuko frowned, shaking her head. "What the fuck is that supposed to—"

"It means," Sage interjected calmly, trying to keep a sweet smile on her face. She looked pale, still, and she was wearing warm clothing, a hat over her hair that was clean and sweeping around her shoulders. She looked better, but Victoria glanced at her shoulder, bulky under the sweater she had hanging around her. "That we have to protect ourselves against the people trying to hurt us. There is another rebellion rising; Nico's father, who lives in Asilyra, has seen more and more rebel activity in the mountains. The suspicion of upcoming activity has been ongoing, and with the boat crash…" She trailed off, looking to Nico.

He picked up for her. "Those drivers, the ones that brought you to the shore?" The girls watched him. "They were from the rebellion."

Alexia scoffed, staggering to the left and crossing her arms. "Sunrise fell apart years ago. After your family fell—"

"We don't know if it's Sunrise. For all we know, it could be some destructive branch," Nico admitted. "We just know that there is someone watching us, someone on the inside."

"So, what?" Ntu wanted answers.

"So," Nico nodded to the stairs, "there's a bunker beneath the castle. For the past four years, we've been turning it into a training facility, a safety backup program of sorts. You're here because… Your forms were the most impressive, and you all have something about you that makes you a good candidate to not only become queen (which is definitely more of a subplot to this whole thing, by the way) but to help protect the throne."

Alexia was silent, but Victoria spoke up. "How can we trust you? You're a Quinn. Your bloodline—"

"I'm no Quinn," he assured her, and the rest of them, too. "I'm a Galanis, a child of Asilyra just like you, Alexia. And just like those rebels."

Ntu laughed. "So you're part of them?" She wished she had some form of backup. This was a terrible plan.

"I'm not. I'm the king." He shrugged, and the girls began to realize that he was a completely different person. "You ladies are not only here for me, as Noriko so kindly pointed out, but for this country." He grinned at Ntu. "You'll be putting on a facade for the country, as I have done for so long. You thought I was a weak king, a weak person. But I've got a lot to show you." He paused and the rest of the girls just looked at him. There was silence, and he took that as his chance. Stepping towards the door, Nico talked over his shoulder to the group. "I've explained everything to Sage; she'll tell you all you need to know. For the time being… I need to go talk to Kaia. Catch her up on the situation."

And with that, he put his fingerprint to the surface of the handle and the door clanked open. It slammed shut behind him, and the girls were left in awe. When they all looked back to Sage, she was smiling gently.

"Looks like you guys need to be caught up," she laughed, breathy and sweet. "Welcome… to the Selection."

Alright! So, next chapter we're going to be seeing the interaction between Kaia and Nico.

After you write your review, I'd like you to answer some questions for me… Feel free to answer in PM, but keep the reviews on the actual story please.

1. What is your lady feeling right now? What are her opinions on this whole situation, and what do you think they'll do in the long run? Will they succeed in this training? Will they be devoted or will they stray?

2. What is your lady's opinion on the other girls thus far? & what is their sexuality? ;)

3. Anything else you think I should know/you'd like me to change about your character?

Thanks!